Thomas Mattei died Saturday, Sept.19.
By Kaye Burnet | News Editor
Thomas Mattei, former associate dean and professor of pharmacy at Duquesne, died Saturday at age 70 of complications after surgery.
Mattei spent more than 40 years as a faculty member of the pharmacy school, and oversaw some of its most important projects, such as the Duquesne pharmacy in the Hill District, according to friend and colleague Bruce Livengood.
Livengood, assistant dean of professional programs for the pharmacy school, said Mattei was “a guy with a vision.”
“He was really a big-picture kind of guy,” Livengood said. “He would come up with the ideas.”
According to Livengood, Mattei helped develop the pharmacy school’s academic partner program. Through this program, Duquesne pharmacy students work for local pharmacies and hospitals to gain experience, while helping the community.
Mattei was the driving force behind the Duquesne pharmacy in the Hill District.
“This was an idea he had had for a long time — the School of Pharmacy having a pharmacy,” Livengood said.
Mattei chose to build the pharmacy in the Hill District because the area had not had a pharmacy in many years.
“He has always had a heart for serving the underserved,” Livengood said. “So we looked at our neighbors here, up in the Hill.”
The pharmacy now offers clinical services, such as blood pressure screenings. Livengood said the pharmacy school plans to partner with the Duquesne nursing school to increase the number of services offered to Hill District residents.
“None of that would be possible without Tom’s vision,” Livengood said.
Livengood described Mattei as “very likeable” and called him “a real people person.”
Mattei earned his bachelors of science in pharmacy from Duquesne in 1968 and his Pharm. D. from Duquesne in 1970.
During his time at the university, he served as chairman of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, division head for Clinical, Social and Administrative Sciences, and associate dean for Professional Programs.
He is survived by his wife Judy and three sons.
